Church Street (2)

James Gray: A closer view of the Brighton Electricity Company chimney from the Church Street entrance to the electricity works. Additional Information: Poster for using electricity at pre-war prices. jgc_ 25_019

2021: Nothing remains from the original photograph. The rather charming ironwork of the original with its posters claiming that Brighton was selling 1929 electricity at “pre-war prices” contrasts sharply with the more functional gates and warning signs in the modern photo. (Photographer: David Jackson) 

James Gray: Two stages in the demolition of the chimney as seen from the Corporation yard leading from the Church Street entrance. jgc_25_020

2021: Nothing remains from the original 1929 photograph. (Photographer: David Jackson) 

James Gray: The demolition of the chimney as seen from the Corporation yard leading from the Church Street entrance. jgc_25_021

2021: Nothing remains from the original 1929 photograph. (Photographer: David Jackson)

James Gray: Looking from Tichbourne Street, across cleared ground in Bread Street, to dilapidated buildings, 15-19 Church Street, leading up to King Street. All now demolished. Date of photograph: 10 June 1979. jgc_25_041

James Gray: Old buildings between Gardner Street and Bread Street, 9 February 1964. All these buildings were cleared in 1965-1966 for the ultimate widening of this busy street. jgc_25_076

2018: The shops were duly demolished, the street widened and now this stretch of Church Street is dominated by office blocks. (Photographer: Nick Pannett)

James Gray: The Providence Calvinistic Chapel was a very old building, dating from 1805. All these buildings were cleared in 1965-1966 for the ultimate widening of this busy street. jgc_25_077

2018: Sovereign House, an office block built in 1989 between Tichbourne Street and Spring Gardens, obliterated the southern end of Bread Street. (Photographer: Nick Pannett)

James Gray: View looking up Church Street (1964). jgc_25_078

2018: The buildings housing EH Kirk Ltd, Dockerills and others along the north side of Church Street were demolished to enable street widening. The William the Fourth pub, on the left, is still open and, externally, little changed. Dockerills is still in Church Street but now on the other side of the street, below the pub. (Photographer: David Jackson)

James Gray: Photographs of premises opposite to each other at the junction with Bond Street. This photograph shows the kosher butchers at 20 Bond Street, in 1908. This has been a butcher’s shop for more than a century. It is shown as such in the 1845 Directory and, at time of writing, is still used for this purpose. Additional Information: Probably H. Miles in the shop doorway with his assistants. jgc_25_081

2018: By the time this photograph was taken, C Ballard had taken over the butcher’s shop from H Miles. Gresham Blake has been on this corner site since 2000. For opposite corner, see jgc_25_082 below. (Photographer: Nick Pannett)

James Gray: Photographs of premises opposite to each other at the junction with Bond Street. The William IV Inn, about 1900, before the extension to the east in Church Street was made. This pub has changed out of recognition.  jgc_25_082

James Gray: 108 Church Street, at the corner of Jubilee Street, facing New Road, in 1897. For about 40 years up to the mid-1950s, this was used as a restaurant. jgc_25_083

2018: 107 and 108 Church Street were demolished in 1972, shortly after the Central National School next door. In Jubilee Street, the road and pavement are both wider than in the original photo and the ground floor of the corner building (1 Jubilee Street) is now Carluccio’s. (Photographer: Chris Nichols)

James Gray: 9 Church Street, at the east corner of Jew Street, demolition in progress. jgc_25_093

2018: 9 Church Street has been replaced by a modern building, with Eten + Drinken, a café specialising in Dutch snacks, on the ground floor.

James Gray: 9 Church Street before demolition. jgc_25_094

2018: 9 Church Street, on the corner with Jew Street, is today a modern building, with Eten + Drinken, a café specialising in Dutch snacks, on the ground floor. On the opposite corner, just glimpsed in the James Gray image, was the Church Street Drug Store, now Unlimited, a design shop and gallery. (Photographer: Denise Taylor)

James Gray: Houses at the junction of Portland Road and Church Street. jgc_25_031

2018: This site was incorrectly identified in the James Gray Collection.

James Gray: This photograph of Jew Street on 10 June 1979 was taken for the sole purpose of showing all that was left of the old archway which led to the small infantry barracks. These had a short life, soon being replaced by the much larger barracks between Church Street and North Road. Additional information: Advertisement hoarding of Players cigarettes. jgc_25_034

James Gray: Thought to have been taken about 1950 and providing a good view of the flint and brick houses which were a feature of Portland Street, though Nos 21 and 22 which lay back behind small front gardens with brick frontages were most attractive. It is a great pity that some of these houses could not have been preserved. jgc_25_012

James Gray: A photograph of June 1963, showing old houses between Windsor Street and Queen’s Road. On the right, the backs of two houses at the top of Church Street, south side. I do not know the original purpose of these buildings or why they were built. They may possibly have been stables at one time, but this seems unlikely. Certainly they were not part of the Unicorn Yard, which was much nearer to North Street. jgc_25_003

James Gray: A view of cottages in Gerards Court, showing both entrances. On the left, the way in from King Street and, on the right, the way out into Church Street. Twelve cottages were grouped around a small central area. I do not know when they were built but they are mentioned in the Brighton Directory for 1855. jgc_25_035

2018: The entire east corner of King Street/Church Street is now new buildings and the NCP car park. The Google Maps photo would face the cottages at the same angle as the James Gray photo, ie King Street to the rear, Church Street to the right. Note that 1850s directories spelt the area as Gerrard’s Court, not Gerards. The court was demolished around 1935. (Photographer: Google maps)

James Gray: This court was hidden away behind the east side of King Street, with a narrow entrance between Nos 40 & 41. It was demolished in 1936. Another passage leading to the court can still be seen below 15 Church Street. jgc_25_036

2018: An NCP car park has replaced Gerrard’s Court. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)

 James Gray: Although the cottages of Gerards Court were removed in 1935, relics of it lingered on for 45 years, until 1980. These included the exit into Church Street, and the name board affixed to the side wall, though even this was misspelt! As final demolition approached, I had these photographs taken on 10 June 1979. Removal took place in mid-1980. A general view across Church Street, showing the disused exit from Gerards Court beneath ”Fishing Tackle”. jgc_25_037

James Gray: See jgc_25_037. View looking into this exit bricked up at the end. jgc_25_038

2018: There is still a passageway which leads to the car park. (Photographer: Mark Stephenson)

James Gray: See jgc_25_037. The wooden and mis-spelt nameboard. jgc_25_039

2018: The 1898 fire insurance map of the area gives the name as ‘Gerrard’s Court’. The entrance is a covered way between 14 (east) and 15 (west) Church Street. The entrance into King Street was on the east side of the street. (Plan: extract from Goad’s fire insurance plans of Brighton, 1898. © British Library)

James Gray: These buildings await removal, photographed 9 February 1964. Additional Information: Regent Street, Dockerills. jgc_25_074

2018: Dockerills had various shops in Church Street over the years but in 1964, when the James Gray photograph was taken, their premises were on the corner of Church Street and Gardner Street, not Regent Street as stated.

James Gray: A rooftop view of Church Street and Gardner Street, with a distant panorama of hilly eastern Brighton. The year is not known but visible building works suggest the early 1960s. jgc_ 25_084

2018: It was impossible to replicate the original photograph so this 2018 picture is from the top of the Church Street theatre car park.

James Gray: Four photographs, taken at various times, during the destruction – one can use no other word – of this old Regency Gothic style building, early in 1971. [See all four photographs on the separate Central National School page at Church Street (1A)]  jgc_25_091

2018: A year after the demolition of the Central National School, the two adjacent buildings, 107 & 108 Church Street, were also demolished. Today. on the corner of Church Street and Jubilee Street is a branch of Carluccio’s, the Italian restaurant chain. On the opposite corner of Jubilee Street is the Waggon and Horses public house. (Photographer: Denise Taylor)

James Gray: Widening of this old central street is destined to take several years. The buildings seen in this photograph, taken on 21 August 1960, were removed some years ago, but most of the buildings below Gardner Street still await ultimate removal.  jgc_25_073

2018: Church Street has now been widened. The front of the Dockerills shops going up Church Street would probably have stopped way beyond the street furniture (the bin, phone box, parking signs and lamp post). Dockerills is now on the opposite side of the road, directly behind the photographer. (Photographer: Nick Pannett)

James Gray: A photograph of the quiet burial ground in Queen’s Road, at the same period as the previous photograph [jgc_31_202]. A few years before, this had been very unkempt with gravestones covering the grassy area. These were removed to where they now stand to the extreme right and left. jgc_31_203

James Gray: Building of North Road Chimney – 1891. The first electricity generating station owned by Brighton Corporation was set up in North Road in 1890 and led to the erection of this chimney. After the opening of Southwick Power Station in 1906, generating ceased at North Road and the chimney was demolished in 1929. jgc_25_124

2019: Gray’s historic photograph of the scaffolding-clad chimney with the steeplejack builders clustered at the top was taken in 1891 as it neared completion. The modern photograph taken 128 years later is a rather surreal shot of the sky depicting the empty space where a mighty industrial edifice once stood. (Photographer: David Jackson) 

James Gray: Two photographs [jgc_25_137 and, on the North Road page, jgc_25_138] of the date, 29 September 1968, as overleaf, when the future of this building was in doubt. They show the classic frontage of the church, unchanged since its erection as Hanover Chapel in 1825. The facing burial ground was until the 1950s covered with memorials and headstones above countless graves which were then removed to the sides and the area grassed over to make a public open space. Events moved very slowly, the building deteriorated, and it was not until 1985/1986 that the work of reconstruction began. It is to be hoped that the best features of the old building will be preserved. jgc_25_137